Demo+-+Studio+Sessions

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Part One - Demo Sessions (April 1972 - February 1973) Overview

There is no doubt that 1972 was a massive songwriting period for Bruce. Although some have their genesis in 1971, Springsteen wrote most of the below-mentioned songs during 1972, prior to the January 1973 release of his debut album. The vast majority of the known recordings were made during a three-four month period, from May thru August 1972. However, a few were recorded shortly beforehand and several weren't recorded until early 1973. All but one feature Springsteen completely solo, on either acoustic guitar or keyboards. The one exception features an added, but barely discernible, bass guitar. From this large pool of recordings Appel-Cretecos selected and distributed some of them during 1973-74 - most notably to the UK – European based publisher Intersong Music Ltd. Some recordings were distributed on tape, others on acetates. Most of these acetates were manufactured at Media Sound in New York City and Angel Sound in Bedford, MA. However (and this has been the source of much confusion over the years) Springsteen did NOT record at either of these locations. Intersong also pressed its own acetates for distribution within the industry. This audio gradually filtered into collector circles in the late 1970s, often under the misnomer “the London Publishing Demos”.

The audio that has circulated to date was recorded at either: a) CBS Studios, b) Mediasound Studios at West 57th Street, New York City, c) 914 Sound Studios or d) Jim Cretecos’ apartment (not sure about this location - stories contradict each other). Interestingly neither the material recorded at CBS Studios (the so-called “Hammond tapes”) nor the material recorded in Jim Cretecos’ apartment (the so-called “Cretecos Tapes”) was ever sent to publishers. The Hammond tapes leaked out into collector circles hands in the 1970s via other sources. The Cretecos apartment tapes never circulated until the early 1990s, when Jimmy Cretecos sold his private audio collection (which also included recordings from both Mediasound Studios and 914 Sound Studios) to a third party – and it was this third party (JEC Music USA) that attempted to claim copyright of the material and to release it commercially. Springsteen took the matter to court in both the UK and USA – litigation that, all totalled, spanned nearly 7 years (1994 – 2001). In the end Bruce won both the UK and USA cases convincingly – however not before much of the material had leaked out on various unauthorized and/or bootleg CD releases.

Although the general time frame and sequencing of these April 72 – February 73 demo-recording sessions has become clearer, much of the finer details (i.e., exact locations, dates and times for each recording) remain unclear. The full scope of Springsteen’s songwriting catalog that was actually committed to audio tape by Bruce during this period remains a mystery. As can be seen below, nearly half of the songs that Springsteen is believed to have written have yet to surface in any audio form.
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Part Two - Demo Sessions Details (by session)

//**TIMELINE:** Springsteen signed Exclusive Recording and Exclusive Management Agreements with Laurel Canyon (Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos) in mid-March, 1972. However Springsteen did not sign any Songwriting Agreement at this time, apparently wishing to think this matter over a bit longer. During April Springsteen traveled to New York on occasions to visit Mike Appel at the publishing company Pocketful Of Tunes, where Mike Appel was then employed. During April some spontaneous, “off-the-cuff” Springsteen performances were recorded in a songwriting room (not the studio) at Pocketful Of Tunes. To date, only a couple of these demos have surfaced. There may have been other songs (titles unknown) similarly taped that have yet to circulate.//

code Probably recorded at Mike Appel’s office or home, New York, NY during April, 1972 code Note: the U1 and U4 recordings are from a downstream generation source and un-enhanced - and therefore of reduced sound quality. ESRR is somewhat improved, but is snipped at the end.

//**TIMELINE:** Further demos were recorded over multiple sessions at the apartment of Bruce’s co-manager Jim Cretecos. Cretecos was an electronics engineer and was able to emulate a reasonable recording environment in his apartment – so much so that it is difficult to distinguish some of the recordings Bruce made in Cretecos’ apartment from those made in a professional studio.// code Recorded at Jim Cretecos’ apartment, New York, NY during April, 1972. Produced by Jim Cretecos. Recording Engineer: Jim Cretecos. code Note: all the “BTF-UNE-PS-EY” recordings are professionally transferred from a copy of the master tape and have been further improved by modern technology.

//**TIMELINE:** In late April 1972 Mike Appel was able to procure a May 2 meeting with CBS A&R Manager John Hammond so that Hammond could meet and listen to Bruce. Hammond loved what he heard and Springsteen’s first studio demo session took place at CBS Studios the following day (the so-called “John Hammond Demo Session”). Fourteen recordings were made of twelve different songs; two performed twice. Session log information survives so it has been verified that these recordings encompass the complete session. John Hammond was prepared to sign Bruce on the spot on May 3. But administrative formalities within CBS meant that it would take several weeks for that to become reality. Mike Appel sent cassette copies of some (not all) of this May 3 material to several record company executives during May in an attempt to create a bidding war for Springsteen’s services. However, none of the other companies were interested in Bruce.//

code Recorded at CBS Studios, New York, NY on May 3, 1972. Produced by John Hammond. Recording Engineer: Phil Giambalvo code Note: all //Tracks// recordings are professionally transferred from the master tape. The U3 and HDT recordings are each from different, downstream generation sources and of significantly reduced sound quality, particularly HDT audio.

//**TIMELINE:** A week or so following this May 3 John Hammond demo session Springsteen finally signed his “Exclusive Songwriting Agreement” with publisher Sioux City Music (Appel & Cretecos). It was following the signing of this Agreement that Springsteen began a series of May-June demo sessions for Sioux City Music at Wes Farrell’s Pocketful Of Sounds Studios (where Appel was still employed). Despite this timeline it appears that some of these recordings may have been cut in April 1972.//

code Recorded at Mediasound Studios, New York, NY during April-July, 1972. Produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos. Recording Engineer: Jim Cretecos. code Note: all the BTF or UNE or PS or EY recordings are professionally transferred from a copy of the master tape and professionally enhanced. All U1 or U4 or DT recordings are from a downstream generation source and of reduced sound quality. Master tape quality versions of both "The Song" and "Cowboys Of The Sea" from this session are in very limited circulation in collector circles. The list above is in approximate chronological order.

//**TIMELINE:** Laurel Canyon Productions (Appel & Cretecos) finally signed a recording contract with CBS (“the CBS Agreement”) on June 9, 1972. Bruce was not signed directly to CBS - his services were subcontracted to CBS by Laurel Canyon. The recording sessions for Springsteen’s debut LP took place at 914 Sound Studios from early June thru late October. Individual recordings made by Springsteen under the CBS Agreement remained the property of Laurel Canyon until such point that they were assigned and delivered (transferred) to CBS. Since Laurel Canyon owned the un-assigned recordings some of them ended up serving as copyright/publishing demos for Laurel Canyon. Since this group of 914 Sound Studio material emanates from sessions intended to produce an album, they can be categorized as both Greetings album outtakes AND publishing demos.//

code Recorded at 914 Sound Studio, Blauvelt, NY during June 1972. Produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos. Recording Engineer: Pete Weiss. code Note: all BTF or UNE or PS or EY recordings are professionally transferred from a copy of the master tape that has been enhanced. The DT and U4 recordings are from a downstream generation source, un-enhanced and therefore of reduced sound quality. Since the above-mentioned six recordings appear to have been made during the sessions for the //Greetings// LP they are also listed in the //Greetings// LP sessions section. While the "house" engineer at 914 was Louis Lahav, this particular session was engineered by Pete Weiss.

In July 2012 a was listed on an auction site. Despite claims by the auctioneer that this document is a setlist, we feel it is more likely to be a list of songs that Springsteen was considering taking into the studio and recording for his next album, and is potentially from sometime around the summer of 1972. The songs listed are "Arabian Nights", "Mary Queen Of Arkansas" (crossed out), "Southern Sun", "Growin' Up", "Jesse", "Marie", "The Jazz Musician", "Street Queen" and "Mother". "Mother" is a song that is known from circa 1972 rough audio not in circulation, and was listed by Charles Cross in the second edition of //Backstreets: The Man and His Music//. It is not known if the song was ever finished.

Another document surfaced in November 2013, listing. This document is believed to date from August 1972. These twelve songs are "Arabian Nights", "Henry Boy", "I Heard The Word" (a.k.a. "The Song"), "Mary Queen Of Arkansas" (apparently listed as an alternative to "I Heard The Word"), "Growin' Up", "Two Hearts In True Waltz Time", "Song To Orphans" (listed as an alternative to "Two Hearts In True Waltz Time"), "Lost In The Flood", "The Angel", "Bus Driver" ("Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street"), "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City" and "Visitation At Fort Horn".

//**TIMELINE:** Following the completion of the debut LP sessions in September 1972, Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ was commercially released January 5, 1973. Springsteen continued composing new material after the sessions ended and was allegedly supplied with a reel-to-reel recorder by Appel-Cretecos and is thought to have made some home demos on his own during this period. None of this audio from the September-December 1972 period has ever emerged. However at least two further publishing demo sessions were held at 914 Studios – one on January 29-30 and the other on February 19-20, 1973.//

code Recorded at 914 Sound Studio, Blauvelt, NY January 29-30, 1973. Produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos. Recording Engineer: Louis Lahav. code Note: all the U6 recordings are professionally transferred from a copy of the master tape. code Recorded at 914 Sound Studio, Blauvelt, NY February 19-20, 1973. Produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos. Recording Engineer: Louis Lahav. code Note: Exactly which songs (other than "Song For Orphans") were recorded at the final demo session at 914 Sound is unconfirmed, but stylistically and chronologically speaking the recordings of "Tokyo" and "Vibes Man" listed above are the only ones that fit the timeline. Previously thought to date from mid-1972, both seem to fit the E Street Band rather better than the solo songs Springsteen was composing in 1972. "Tokyo" was played live with the band in April 1973, while "Vibes Man" would later be found as the coda to another song from April, "New York Song".

Part Three - Demo Sessions Details (By Song Title)

Note: Recorded at CBS Studios on May 3, 1972. V1 is an abandoned take. V2 is a complete take and has been officially issued on //Tracks//. Note: V1 recorded at CBS Studios on May 3, 1972 and officially issued on //Tracks//. V2 likely recorded at Pocketful Of Tunes Studios, New York, NY in May-June, 1972. Note: Recorded at CBS Studios on May 3, 1972 and officially issued on //Tracks//. Note: Recorded at CBS Studios on May 3, 1972 and officially issued on //Tracks//. Note: V1 recorded at CBS Studios on May 3, 1972. Note: V1 probably recorded at Mike Appel’s office in New York in April 1972. V2 was recorded at CBS Studios on May 3, 1972. V3 was recorded at 914 Sound Studios on June 7, 1972. V1 features some tentative lyric lines. Each version is a more polished than its predecessor. Note: written in 1971 and performed by Bruce (on piano) to Mike Appel during their first meeting in November 1971 (that version was not recorded). This performance is on acoustic guitar. Recorded at Jim Cretecos’ apartment in New York City in April, 1972. Note: Recorded at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY on January 29-30, 1973. Tremendous. Also known as "The Story Of The Self-Loading Pistol" and "Shootout In Chinatown", and variations thereof. Note: Recorded at Jim Cretecos’ apartment in New York City in April, 1972. Note: Recorded at Mediasound Studios in April-May, 1972 Note: Written by Bruce in 1971. Performed with The Bruce Springsteen Band in late 1971 and early 1972. A wild, full band live performance at The Backdoor Club in Richmond in February 1972 is circulating. This seems to be the earliest of his compositions to incorporate substantial scattershot imagery. V1 recorded at CBS Studios on May 3, 1972. V2 recorded at Pocketful Of Tunes Studios in May-June, 1972. V3 probably recorded at 914 Sound Studios in June, 1972 Note: Recorded at Mediasound Studios in April-May, 1972. Utilises the melody of "Growin' Up". Very short, and the recording is likely to be only the first verse of a potentially longer song. Note: Also known by the titles "California" or "California, You’re A Woman". Both V1 and V2 likely recorded at Mediasound Studios in April/May, 1972. The V1 take (which is definitely from Pocketful Studios as the control room engineer is heard giving Bruce a directive to begin) is delivered at a slower pace and is slightly off-key. V2 is likely a second take and is the superior performance. Note: Recorded at Mediasound Studios in June 1972 and officially released on September 23, 2016 on //Chapter and Verse//, the companion album to Springsteen's autobiography //Born To Run//. Dated only as "June 1972" in the liner notes, suggesting the studio logs from the time are not complete. A video recording of a solo performance from August 1972 at Max’s Kansas City is in circulation. Note: Likely recorded at Jim Cretecos’ apartment in New York City in April, 1972. Note: Recorded at the same January 29-30, 1973 session as "Ballad Of A Self-Loading Pistol", "Saga Of The Architect Angel", "Janey Needs A Shooter" and "Winter Song", "I Met Her At A Tourist Trap In Tiguara" is the only one of the five that remains uncirculated. Note: V1 probably recorded at Mike Appel's office, New York in April 1972. V2 recorded at CBS Studios on May 3, 1972. V3 likely recorded at Mediasound Studio in May-June, 1972. All three feature Bruce on piano. V1 is performed at a slower pace and is not as polished as V2 or V3. According to comments by Bruce this was written in late 1970 or early 1971. Performed live at The Student Prince in the fall of 1971 and then (acoustically) on May 2, 1972 in John Hammond’s office. Neither of those performances are circulating. Note: Recorded at 914 Sound Studios on January 29-30, 1973. The lyrics were written during 1972, although the melody was culled from a 1971 Springsteen composition performed live by the Bruce Springsteen Band called “Talkin About My Baby”. Later appeared on provisional lists for //The Wild, The Innocent//, //Born To Run// and //Darkness On The Edge Of Town//, but there is no evidence it was recorded for any of these. Note: This series of audio is perhaps the most confusing of all the demo material. V1 and V2 were both recorded at CBS Studios on May 3, 1972. V3 was recorded at Mediasound Studios in May-June. V4, on the other hand, is from 914 Sound Studios on June 27, 1972. All four versions are solo-piano takes and each version is a slight improvement on its predecessor. However the V3 and V4 takes are remarkably similar in studio ambience and delivery – extremely difficult to tell apart. In V3 Bruce sings one line as “and you were pretty big in the south”. In V4 Bruce sings this line as “and, YEAH, you were pretty big in the south”. “Jazz Musician” was one of three songs bumped from //Greetings// to make way for last minute additions “Blinded By The Light” and “Spirit In The Night”. Some have speculated that the recording of the song that was eliminated from //Greetings// is another, yet-to-circulate take. Note: Likely recorded at Jim Cretecos’ apartment in New York City in April 1972, although this is possibly from Pocketful Of Tunes Studios in May-June. Note: V1 recorded in Mike Appel’s office in New York City in April 1972. V2 recorded at 914 Sound Studios on June 7, 1972. V1 is a very tentative performance and the sound quality seems to indicate it was recorded on non-professional equipment. V2 is vastly superior on all levels. Named "The Lady And The Doctor" by some sources. Note: Recorded at Mediasound Studios, New York, NY in April-May, 1972 Note: Likely recorded at Mediasound Studios, New York in June/July of 1972. Bruce on piano. This is one of the masters purchased by JEC Music USA, registered by them at the Library Of Congress, but never issued on any of JEC’s associated CD releases (Prodigal Son – Unearthed - Before The Fame). Collectors will have to make do with the same (but lesser sound quality) recording found on U4. Note: Likely recorded at Jim Cretecos’ apartment in New York City in April, 1972. One of Bruce’s major works from the period. Note: Recorded at Jim Cretecos’ apartment in New York City in April of 1972. Written in 1971, maybe even earlier. About as autobiographical as anything Bruce has ever written. Note: Written in late 1972. Performed live (on piano) by Bruce at a couple of shows in January 1973 (audio from Max's Kansas City on January 31, 1973 is circulating). The studio demo is performed on acoustic guitar and is more fully developed than the known January live performance. Recorded at 914 Sound Studios on February 19-20, 1973. A classic. Note: V1 and V2 both recorded at Mediasound Studios in May-June, 1972. V1 is an abandoned (incomplete) take, with Bruce forgetting the words. V2 is complete. Written in 1971 and performed with The Bruce Springsteen Band in late 1971 and early 1972. A full band live performance from late 1971 is circulating. Note: Recorded at 914 Sound Studios on February 29-30, 1973. Written soon after the May 2 audition for John Hammond and found on a proposed track-listing document for the //Greetings// album. "Song For Orphans" was an occasional inclusion in Bruce’s opening solo segment during the first three months of the //Greetings// album tour. A couple live audio performances from that period are circulating. Occasionally written as "Song To Orphans", "Song To The Orphans" and variations thereof. At some point in 1974 Springsteen composed that were candidates for inclusion on his third album, "Song For Orphans" is the second song on the list. Note: V1 recorded at CBS Studios, New York, NY on May 3, 1972. V2 recorded at Pocketful Of Tunes Studios, New York, NY in May-June, 1972. Original Sioux City Music documentation has the song titled as “Southern SUN”, but it was copyrighted under the incorrect title "Southern SON" by JEC Music USA in 1995. Springsteen subsequently registered it as "Southern SUN" in 1999. Springsteen has clearly written "sun" on a handwritten setlist from the period, and the lyrics //"it's a southern sun that shines down on this Yankee boy"// clearly indicate it should be "Sun". Note: V1 recorded at CBS Studios, New York, NY on May 3, 1972. Bruce on piano. V2 is from 914 Sound Studios on June 7, 1972. Bruce plays an electric keyboard on V2. V2 is one of the master tape recordings purchased by JEC Music USA, registered by them at the Library Of Congress, but never issued on any of JEC’s associated CD releases (Prodigal Son – Unearthed - Before The Fame) Note: Recorded at Mediasound Studios, New York in May-June, 1972. Historically this has been listed under the title "The Word" or "I Heard The Word". However a perfect sound quality tape of this performance exists in limited collector circles and it includes the previously unheard introduction ("The Song, take 1") – indicating the correct title is "The Song". However, "I Heard The Word" can be found on a list of possible album tracks, dated around August 1972. Note: Historically considered to have been recorded at Mediasound Studios, New York in May-June, 1972, but February 19-20, 1973 at 914 Sound seems more likely. Bruce on piano. Performed live occasionally by Bruce during 1973 and early 1974. At some point in 1974 Springsteen composed that were candidates for inclusion on his third album. A song with the title "Shanghai" is the ninth song on that list, and based on the lyrics we assume that it is actually "Tokyo". Also known as "Tokyo (And The Band Played)". Note: V1 recorded at CBS Studios, New York, NY on May 3, 1972. Written in April 1972 and performed (tentatively, with a couple of words mumbled) by Bruce as part of the CBS Studio session. V2 recorded at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY on June 27 and 29, 1972. The 914 Sound Studios version (which features either Garry Tallent or Richard Davis on bass) is stunning. Seriously considered for //Greetings//, appearing on an August 1972 short-list. Note: Historically considered to have been recorded at Mediasound Studio, New York in May-June, 1972, but February 19-20, 1973 at 914 Sound seems more likely. Bruce on piano. U4 / DT / U2 feature the same recording, except that on the U2 version audience clapping has been spliced onto the end of the song (by a bootlegger many years ago) in order to fake a live performance. Bruce would later merge “Vibes Man” with his early 1973 composition “New York Song” to create the mid 1973 mini-epic “New York City Serenade”. Note: Written by Bruce during June 1972. Recorded at 914 Sound Studios in July 1972. Bumped from the Greetings LP to make way for last minute additions “Blinded By The Light” and “Spirit In The Night”. Performed by Bruce live at least a couple of times during the August 1972-January 1973 period, although no live audio is circulating. Note: Likely Recorded at Jim Cretecos’ apartment in New York City in April, 1972. Note: Recorded at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt on January 29-30, 1973. Bruce on piano. Haunting.

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